Plan for Warriors arena on San Francisco waterfront gets a big boost

Days after the Golden State Warriors made the playoffs for just the second time in 19 seasons, an eclectic group gathered on the steps of City Hall on Tuesday to proclaim its support for building a basketball arena for the unlikely winners on the city’s waterfront. The arena cheerleaders included business leaders, labor representatives, leaders of youth organizations and regular fans in team jerseys.

The group – which calls itself Warriors on the Waterfront and has a new web-site by the same name – plans to turn out in force to upcoming City Hall meetings on the arena, as well as neighborhood events and community festivals to tout the arena plan.

“You can build an arena in a lot of places,” said former 49ers president Carmen Policy, who led San Francisco’s failed effort to keep the 49ers from packing up for Santa Clara. “You can only build the greatest, best, most iconic structure in San Francisco.”

The current plan, backed by the Warriors and Mayor Ed Lee, calls for a 17,500-seat arena on Piers 30-32 that would host the Warriors as well as music concerts and conventions.

But support certainly isn’t unanimous. There’s another new group called the San Francisco Waterfront Alliance which includes former Mayor Art Agnos and ex-Chief Administrative Officer Rudy Nothenberg and, of course, has its own web-site at www.sf-wa.org. Environmental groups including Save the Bay and some neighbors have also slammed the plan. Concerns include blocked bay views and access, the potential for too much traffic and noise and City Hall bowing to the whims of wealthy sports owners at the expense of average citizens.

Warriors on the Waterfront may want to adopt Bob Graham, a 77-year-old condo owner who lives just a block from Piers 30-32, as its official spokesman.

Of potential noise and traffic, he said, “To that I say, guess what? We live in a city – that’s what a city is all about!” And of blocked views, he said, “That’s a small price for glory.”

But not every member of Warriors on the Waterfront was in complete agreement. Janet Clyde, owner of Vesuvio, said she looks forward to one day attending a Bruce Springsteen concert at the new arena.